Student Wins Educational Grants for His School

East Greenbush Central School District won a $3,500 grant and the East Greenbush Education Foundation received a $500 grant from Staples thanks to a Columbia student with school pride.

Peter Tedeschi, a junior at Columbia High School who works part-time at Staples as a cashier, applied for the two grants through his employer.

“This school district has done a lot for me so I decided to give back,” said Mr. Tedeschi.

He learned about the grant opportunity at a recent quarterly staff meeting when his general manager talked about the company’s philanthropic program 2 Million & Change. The program, which provides grant money to local schools and nonprofits, seemed like a perfect way to help Mr. Tedeschi’s classmates.

“Peter is a very conscientious young man,” said Alex Castellano, an assistant manager at Staples. “He’s always willing to help out or offer assistance to customers. He’s an ideal employee.”

Because of Mr. Tedeschi’s efforts, the school district will receive a $3,500 grant to purchase a new smart board for the Center for Therapeutic Academic Excellence Program (CTAEP). CTAEP, which started in September 2014, is a school within a school for students in grades 9-12. They benefit from a smaller learning environment away from the traditional school setting, learning from a team of teachers and a school psychologist at the garden level of Bell Top.